10 Dog-Safe Flowers for Your Garden or Home

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If you’re planning to spruce up your garden or house plants and also have a pet pooch, you need to know which flowers are safe for dogs. Keep in mind that a lot of plants are unsafe for pets, but never fear, there are plenty of beautiful varieties that you can enjoy without worrying your dog will get sick if he decides to give them a chew. These ten flowers are safe for dogs (even if they’re not exactly an ideal doggy snack).

Many of these blossoms are edible and can make a colourful and tasty addition to a salad. Rose petals, violets, sunflower petals, pansies, snapdragons and some marigolds can all be eaten raw—by dogs and people. A word of caution: it’s essential to make sure your flowers aren’t treated with insecticides, fungicides or weed-killers, as those are poisons that can cause you and your dog serious harm.

While shopping for flowers safe for dogs, take along the following list of dog-friendly plants—as well as the list of which plants are dangerous for dogs. While you’re out plant shopping, if you find an exciting new plant friend, you can even search Rover’s extensive guide on poisonous plants to dogs and cats to check if it’s safe for your pet.

10 Flowers Safe for Dogs You Can Buy or Grow

Roses

Classic and beautiful, roses are always a crowd-pleaser, and thankfully they are perfectly safe flowers for dogs. In fact, you can even sprinkle rose petals onto your salad for a gourmet touch. Rosehips—the fruits that come from rose flowers—are also safe for dogs and people too. Some, like the dog in this youtube video, love them. Just be aware that the thorns on rose bushes can be painful, so don’t let your dog chew on rose branches.

African Violets

These flowers come in an array of colours, from blue and pink to soft yellow and violet (just to name a few). They’re also easy to care for and won’t poison curious dogs who can’t resist chomping on their vibrantly hued petals.

Violets are generally purchased as live plants, rather than being planted from seed. This means that they may be treated with fertilisers and possibly other agricultural chemicals that can make them less safe to eat.

Snapdragons

Looking for a lovely annual to add to your yard? Bright, boisterous snapdragons are another safe flower for dogs. Not only do they add some serious charm to homes and gardens, they’re also non-toxic for your pet.

The safest way to grow snapdragons is from seed so you can ensure that your flowers are free of fertilisers and pesticides that are unsafe for pets.

Orchids

Gorgeous and occasionally difficult to cultivate, these flowers come in a plethora of varieties and hybrids that are generally non-toxic for pups. It’s always best to visit a specialist orchid website, though, just to ensure you’re growing one of the safe ones.

Orchids are purchased as potted plants, and fertiliser is important to keep them in good condition. Keep in mind that many plant fertilisers are not safe for dogs.

Garden Marigolds

So long as your dog doesn’t take more than a few nibbles of this flower (which would cause an upset stomach, at worst), marigolds are safe flowers for dogs that add a pop of colour to your garden or indoor pots. Some marigold varieties are tasty, while others taste like bitter carrots.

Pansies

Lively and sweet, these wonderful flowers are not only non-toxic for dogs, they’re apparently also tasty. Pansies come in a rainbow of colours including blue, white, yellow, red, orange and purple, so there’s something to please everyone.

Pansies, which are close relatives of violets, can be purchased as live plants or grown from seed.

Petunias

Keep your yard smelling sweet with the help of super-fragrant petunias that easily blossom in containers and ground beds. Boasting beauty, vibrancy and an amazing scent, these blooms really have it all—and it’s okay if your dog takes a bite.

However, as members of the nightshade family, petunia flowers are not edible flowers for humans.

Sunflowers

Love the way that freshly cut sunflowers look on your dining room table? Well, rest easy, because these golden beauties are flowers safe for dogs and cats. That’s not to say that too much won’t bother their tummies–but overall these beauties are a safe bet.

Sunflowers are a giant variety of daisies and grow easily from seeds in sunny spots. Sunflower blossoms are also a great way to attract birds to your garden in the autumn when they go to seed.

Zinnias

These annuals are safe for flower-munching canines, and they add a dash of quirky colour that everyone can appreciate. (Plus, wouldn’t a dog named Zinnia be the cutest? Just saying.)

Zinnias are edible, are generally grown from seed by gardeners—they were among the first flowers to be grown in space! Cosmic!

Gerbera Daisies

Last on our list of flowers safe for dogs are these beautiful gerberas—and thank goodness! Bright and cheerful, daisies are a great gift for flower-loving dog owners. Or, well, anyone.

As with sunflowers, the petals of gerbera daisies are edible. Plants can be purchased from a nursery, or can be grown from seed in your garden.

Further Reading

Keep your fur children safe with Rover‘s exhaustive archive of stories about plants that are, and aren’t, safe to have in your home and yard.

• 14 Dog-Friendly Plants You Can Add to Almost Any Garden Right Now
• Plants That Are Safe for Dogs and Cats
• The 5 Most Poisonous Plants to Cats
• 9 Tips for Dog-Friendly Gardening
• The Rover Guide to Poisonous Plants to Dogs and Cats

This post was originally published in December 2018 and was updated in January 2021.